been ill

I've not forgotten about this blog or its readers. I will return to research and post when health permits.

happily never after?

Why do families who wish to adopt children really participate and fight in these contested adoptions? I would really like to hear from some of you who are involved in a legal battle with biological families. I am just so surprised by what I read and by how much attention this blog has gotten since I posted about these contested adoptions.

What is a graceful way out for these situations? The children don't win. How do these situations resolve without damage to the children?

Adoptee Rights Demonstration today

Will post updates and links as soon as they appear.

Press Release

The Adoptee Rights Demonstration find updates here.

Times Picayune article

The adoption money trail

Why is adoption so expensive? Where does the money come from? Where does it go to? What is it for? Agency websites state that domestic infant adoption in the United States can cost an adoptive parent(s) $12,000 to $30,000. I have heard more at adoption discussion forums, up to $50,000. This is easy information to verify if you google adoption agencies and check price lists.

Why the disparity in costs for infant adoptions? The agency websites state it depends on the circumstance of the adoption: this means the financial needs of the expectant mother, from what I can discern. Medical and housing costs are sometimes paid to the adoption agency by the prospective adoptive parents with the intention of supporting an expectant mother considering relinquishment.

While initially, it seems to make good sense for the expectant mother to have medical care financed, and why not by the people who will parent the child she carries, it becomes less of a benevolent gift when realizing Medicaid is availabe for a pregnant woman who has no insurance. The taxpayer is supporting the medical needs of the expectant mothers. Why, then, are prospective adoptive couples paying for medical care? (And the idea that good medical care isn't available with Medicaid is false. My own excellent and carefully chosen physician is a Medicaid provider, so I know this is a logical fallacy, in most cases, to claim the care isn't available without private payment.)

Why do the adoption agencies then file for Medicaid benefits for the expectant mothers after receiving medical payments from prospective adoptive families? Why is this allowed if there are no outstanding medical bills and an itemized receipt for adoptive families that include medical care for the pregnant mother?

Not only is the taxpayer funding the medical care for expectant women, which I am not arguing is a problem, but the taxpayer is funding the adoptive family's growth via tax credits. Employers sometimes provide adoption money as well.

This money trail is puzzling. The adoption agencies, which are nonprofit (???), are paid twice for medical expenses for the expectant mother, the adopting family is given government tax credits. Taxpayers are, in fact, paying for the adoption in many ways.

further research

This blog has received several Florida hits since I wrote of Allison Quets's custody battle with Kevin Needham and Denise Needham, and Catherine Ristow's fight for her daughter. Among those hits were google/yahoo searchs for Michael Shorstein's name.

Let's experiment by listing the names of those Jacksonville attornies publically known to practice child trafficking under the guise of adoption.

Michael Shorstein
Jeanne Tate
Patricia Strowbridge Wattle

Who might visit me tomorrow as a result?

Natural mothers speak

Video of natural mothers speaking of their loss of their child(ren).

These well-spoken, educated women grieve their children and share how that pain impacted their entire lives.

Allison Quets: her twins were stolen

Holly Ann and Tyler Lee turn three today.

Happy birthday, sweet children. Your mother loves you very much and is missing you terribly. And I know you are missing her. The three of you will be a family again, and this hurt you all have felt will be the past.

This case makes me wonder such pain can be endorsed by the legal system. What was a custody dispute is now a contest adoption, since the NC courts finalized the adoption on September 17, 1007. The amount of documentation proving the fraud, coercion, and child trafficking in this case is astounding, yet the children are not home.

The law states that an adoption which crosses state lines requires proceedings to comply with the laws of BOTH states. In NC, there is a 7 day time period for revocation. Ms. Quets revoked verbally within hours and legally within 2 days. She was very ill at the time all this occurred and overwhelmed. Technically, the prospective adoptive parents are in violation of the interestate laws on adoption. That means they should actually be charged with interference with parental custody and kidnapping.

Allison's twins were stolen by Kevin Needham and Denise Needham with the help of Michael Shorstein, Kathleen Stevens, Judge Mathis, and many others complicit in the greed of the Florida adoption industry. This is not a case of adoption gone bad, not at all. This is a case of corruption .

Visit Allison's site http://www.tylerandholly.info/ to see the documentation of corruption. The website is incredibly deep and thorough. Allison has been denied visits ; the Needhams have lied under oath ; the media reports are full of errors and omissions.

Stephanie Bennett waits for Evelyn to come home

Send Evelyn home is the website created by Stephanie's parents as they fight to bring their granddaughter home to her mother.



Stephanie was 17 when she became pregnant with Evelyn. A school counselor became involved and brought in "A Child Waiting." She was convinced to sign papers and run away from home. Her parents have started legal action. The school is culpable, the agency is culpable, the State of Ohio is culpable, and Evelyn's abducters are culpable and should return her to her mother. That is the crux of it: if these adopters love Evelyn as much as they claim, then their sacrificial love should FORCE them to return her to her mother and family.



Origins USA says this:




PRLog (Press Release) – Richmond, VA January 10, 2007 - Stephanie Bennett of Canton, Ohio signed adoption surrender documents on the second meeting with a representative of "A Child's Waiting" adoption agency. She had been introduced to an agency representative by her high school counselor on the grounds of Glen Oak High School in Canton. Stephanie, who was 17 at the time, was advised by the adoption agency representative to run away from home and sign documents in another county.



Stephanie Bennett's parents went to court in Stark County and were awarded custody of their grandchild, Evelyn, but the adoption agency refuses to return Stephanie Bennett's baby. OriginsUSA decries the continuing exploitation of American mothers via adoption and demands the immediate return of Baby Evelyn to her legal and natural family. OriginsUSA demands adequate legal safeguards be written into law to clearly define such behavior by any agency as kidnapping, with appropriate legal remedies and punishments for same. Until there are very real legal consequences for such behavior, it will continue.



With the Bennett case coming as it does on the heels of the Quets case, OriginsUSA once again demands that American lawmakers do their duty to protect ALL the people (see, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25(2) "Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection"), not just monied adoption industry lobbyists, adoption agencies and people desperate to adopt children.



OriginsUSA demands justice FOR ALL.



***** For more information about the truth of adoption, past and present, join us at OriginsUSA. Origins USA advocates for the preservation of natural families and, as a last resort, alternative systems of child care that respect the needs and dignity of both mother and child above permanent adoption separation. We provide support for people separated by adoption, fight coercive adoption practices, and educate the public and policy makers about the effects of adoption separation. A national organization, we are internationally affiliated with Origins Inc. ( NSW Australia), Origins Canada, and other Origins branches in those countries. OriginsUSA has also aligned with Tracker’s International in the U.K. and with Adoption Crossroads in the U.S. For further information contact: OriginsUSA Claudia Corrigan Sheeley, Public Relations Chair: PR@OriginsUSA.org 845-339-2640 http://www.OriginsUSA.org/

goodness but contested adoption cases bring blog traffic

The intent of this blog is to share research and ideas about adoption practices in the United States as well as insights into adoption in general. I don't intend this blog to focus on contested adoptions but the inherent problems in the system. The contested cases are symptoms of bigger problems, legal, social, and cultural.

But, boy, do the contested cases increase blog traffic. A single post about Catherine Ristow's case brought as many visitors in one day as I usually get in one week. I am glad others still care about her case, as I do very much. This makes me think that I should create more posts about the multiple contested cases where natural parents are being denied basic civil rights.

So my agenda is as follows: Stephanie Bennet, Cody O'Dea, Shawn McDonald, and Allison Quets. In alphabetical order: two natural mothers, two natural fathers, five stolen children. Child trafficking at the worst; judicial and moral corruption at best.

We'll see what readers think, if they like the contested adoption theme week.

Catherine Ristow

I googled "Catherine Ristow" today to see what was happening in her case and found this link. It's tragic and completely unjust that she won a judicial reprimand against the attorney that stole her daughter, yet her daughter isn't home with her.

These words appear to be from Catherine herself, though there is always room for doubt on the Internet. I'm copying several of the posts from this thread for your ease and reading. There is more at the link

September 26, 2007
I do appreciate the support that I have been getting out there on the
computer! Thank you to all. Micheal Shorstein was not the attorney I got coerced
to give my beautiful daughter up....it was Patricia Strowbridge in Orlando,
Florida. The only thing I know about Shorstein is he is in cohoots with
Strowbridge. Yes, I did won a professional reprimand against Strowbridge, but I
still can't see my daughter. Yes, I was severely mentally sick, but I am doing
so much better now, to the point that I am a night manager in a busy hotel. If I
can do that and have the trust of the General Manager and the corporation, I can
take care of my daughter, or visit her with responsibility. This adoption
industry is absolutely terrible....what they do to genuine women who did not
have their child murdered by abortion is beyond my now mentally healthy
comprehension. Birthmothers love their babies so much just like mothers who were
fortunate to have a readily available support system and have kept their babies.
My family did not know until it was too late, thanks to Strowbridge and her
staff. I kept asking about what to do, and they would skirt around the subject,
or ignore it, which made my mental health worse, because I could not comprehend
downright cruelty at the time. Never in a million years, with my then naivety
and poor mental health would I think that people would deliberately snatch my
daughter away from me. I am angry, but I am willing to forgive if I get a
genuine apology.......from Strowbridge?.....she will never step up to the plate,
NEVER, she rather hide behind her Judge husband's bench. Thank you for reading
this

October 1, 2007

Thanks for your support. I am managing, I will NEVER stop fighting for my daughter. I do things for her now even without seeing her........like writing to her in journals and having a savings account for her. I see you are in Orlando, Fl and you appear to be an advocate and supporter for victims of highly unethical and illegal adoptions. Please spread the word in your area that the pregnancy center that is a missionary of a baptist church on LB McCloud is POISON. They are pro life (which is great) but they go about it wrong, they don't care about the birthmother, just the baby so they can get a kickback from the only referral they used in 2001, which was Patricia Strowbridge. I complained so hard that they supposedly do not use Strowbridge as a one and only referral anymore, however the director of that pregnancy center, Sandra Epperson, hung up on me and raised her voice at me because she could not handle the fact that I caught her in a cohoot situation with Strowbridge. There is so much to cover, and I could go on and on, but I will stop for now. Please try to pass on the information, and hopefully we can save someone from being a victim like me. Most importantly we can save an innocent child from being purposely ripped from their blood roots and what makes them tick. Thanks again and God bless. Catherine

December 6, 2007

I don't know if the way adoptions are done in this country by fleshpeddling will cease to exist in my lifetime. Lawyers such as Patricia Strowbridge and Micheal Shorstein are continuing to get away with unethical and illegal practices due to their connections within the legal community. There are a lot of birthmothers that don't share their nightmare of experiences, having their baby stolen legally, due to lies and manipulation, in fear of being ridiculed for falling in that vulnerable trap. The more birthmothers share their stories, the more chances that adoption laws will change in this country to protect birthmothers. In the adoption industry there is no one that protects birthmothers, no one. It is all about the adoptive parents who pay that are protected. The baby is merchandise. Birthmothers are considered baby machines with no feelings. As a birthmother I am beyond insulted. I am a human being, with feelings, and I deserve to be protected. I hope that one day my story will be considered a legal past precedent, considering I did win a professional reprimand against Patricia Strowbridge. I hope that one day adoption will be used only in cases of extreme emergencies, not used to bully women out of their children so "subsitute parents" can relive their childhood through the pain and suffering of the real mother. I hope and I hope....also I hope adoptions professionals can look at themselves in the mirror clearly with no justification of their unethical and illegal behavior. Oh by the way, if adoption is so great why havn't Patricia Strowbridge and Micheal Shorstein given up their children???? All I can say is they are ballsy and hypocritical. If any birthmother reads this, PLEASE SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD....I guarantee you that it will make a big difference one day and laws will be changed! Thank you for reading this.

December 9, 2007

I am definitely utilizing this Topix website. This is Catherine Ristow, again, yes, again. The Adoption Ethics and Issues website is playing games with me with submitting my comments...so, since this is such an easy one to submit comments I decided to use it. Marilsa Medina made comments on Adoption Ethics and Issues saying she is a Senior Adoption Coordinator in Orlando, Fl and that Chosen Child, in Orlando, Fl, is a legitimate and ethical fully licensed agency. Marilsa Medina works for Patricia Strowbridge. When I was forced to work with them in 2001, they were not an agency, after they legally kidnapped my daughter, they became an agency in the August 2001 time period. When I interacted with them they were a lawyers office that accepted one and only referrals from Sandra Epperson, a pregnancy director. The flow of birthmothers coming in were not protected in any way shape or form. They were used in a carefully crafted system. Their clients, the adoptive parents, were protected. Marilsa Medina says they are ethical and legitimate, that is such a bogus hypocritical statement from her. I WITNESSED her manipulation and lies. I asked Marilsa for my time with my daughter in the hospital and she said Patricia has kids....well, what about my kid?...then she watched me cry in silence along with Patricia while she stamped away with her notary. I was expressing doubts throughout my pregnancy and she boldly used the tactic of saying "Catherine, do you believe in God?". She never had time for me, always brushing me off saying she is busy. Marilsa had children, Marilsa if adoption is so great why didn't you give up YOUR daughter? Please ignore Marilsa Medina's comments on the Adoption Ethics and Issues website, she is a total hypocrite who constantly justifies her UNETHICAL and CRUEL behavior so adoptive couples can make cookies at a loving genuine real mothers expense. It is obvious that I am angry, but I have absolutely every right to be. I am a mother and I cannot see my daughter, only in sporadic pictures throughout the year to shut me up. Thanks for reading this.

December 13, 2007

I'd like to make one more comment about Marilsa Medina, as I realize I have exhausted this topix website, with my fifth entry, however there is so much to cover.....Marilsa Medina tricked me out of a conversation with the Winter Park, Fl adoption hospital social worker, Hilda Perez. Marilsa brought her in my hospital room within 10 minutes of me having a c-section. Marilsa used the tactic of asking me if she should leave since Hilda was there. I said that was okay, this put Hilda on the spot, and she asked me one question, "do you know what you are doing?", I said "yes", because of the brain wash of an adoption plan I was forced into due to a pregnancy center being in cohoots with Patricia Strowbridge, a lawyer....and an adoption counselor, Angela Quick, a founder of an adoption center in Port Orange, Fl, who was utilized as a detective to see how I ticked to insure a complete adoption........also I was severely mentally ill........the only word I said to Hilda was one word yes, later Patricia Strowbridge BOLDLY LIED and said that I talked to the hospital social worker for an hour!!!!! Hilda drifted out of the room after my one word yes, that does not take an hour. Having some interaction was needed in the paperwork I was forced to sign, when I asked for more time and they gave me no other options, they were silent. I AM TELLING EVERYONE, ADOPTION SCAMS, UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR, AND ILLEGAL PRACTICES EXIST IN THIS COUNTRY, WITH PATRICIA STROWBRIDGE AS A PRIME EXAMPLE. I appreciate everyone reading my comments!!! I love my daughter, and I will never stop fighting for her.

December 15, 2007

IT IS VERY OBVIOUS THAT I AM NOT SCARED OF PATRICIA STROWBRIDGE. I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO BE SCARED OF...I AM A HONEST PERSON, AND THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE....I AM A GRIEVING MOTHER THAT HAS NOT SEEN MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER IN SIX YEARS WHEN I ASKED FOR MORE TIME IN THE HOSPITAL, IF I WAS DEALING WITH ETHICAL AND HONEST ADOPTION PROFESSIONALS THAT CARED ABOUT ME AND WERE PROTECTING ME, I WOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED MORE TIME AND I WOULD HAVE MY DAUGHTER NOW.......BUT, OF COURSE NOT...GREEDY SELFISH ADOPTIVE PARENTS WHO SMOTHERED ME WITH (GIVE ME YOUR BABY GIFTS), WERE WAITING AND HYPERVENTILATING OUTSIDE MY HOSPITAL ROOM AND ALL PATRICIA STROWBRIDGE CARED ABOUT WAS THEM AND A COMPLETE ADOPTION...I CAN GO ON AND ON AND ON, BUT I AM SURE ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE READ MY COMMENTS HAVE THE FULL PICTURE, WITH MY SIXTH ENTRY. IF YOU WANT TO READ MORE, GOOGLE MY NAME, I AM STARTING TO BE EVERYWHERE IN ADOPTION CIRCLES. I LOVE MY DAUGHTER AND MISS HER SO MUCH........THANKS TO ALL FOR READING MY COMMENTS AND MERRY CHRISTMAS! CATHERINE

February 7, 2008

I just found on another blog dated the same date January 12, 2008 that you put comments on this Topix website, that you put the statement, "Patricia Strowbridge is a God send to us". It would appear that you are a new adopted mother and Patricia may have encouraged you to submit a comment since she is getting very bad publicity. I hope Patricia Strowbridge has learned her lesson and that handling illegal and unethical adoptions is wrong and evil. Hopefully she has applied what she has hopefully learned and handled the adoption of your adopted son legally and ethically, but I am sorry to say, I DOUBT IT. It would appear that all adoptive parents that use Patricia Strowbridge are happy because she gets them what they want, a child. The adoptive parents naturally are going to have more joy out of adoption that birthparents. How many birthparents are going to say "Patricia Strowbridge is a God send to me"? I guarantee you ZILCH or maybe one or two because she brainwashed them with their vulnerability. I say and I am speaking for other birthmothers dealing with her that she, Patricia Strowbridge, is "the devil sent to me". Adoption can be a beautiful thing for all parties involved if it is done right and for the right reasons. Like I said before, I was mentally ill, and Patricia Strowbrige did not do a mental health evaluation, when it was obvious to her and the adoptive parents of my child that I was sick. Of course not, if an evaluation was done it would interfere with her and the adoptive parents agenda. Mother4Life, I have noticed that you have not rebuttled me or Charles Hannasch with your real name. It would appear that you do not want to face the facts...I guess you are too busy spoiling your new adopted son. Let me ask you this, do you ever think about the real mother of your adopted son, and the tremendous sacrifice she did for the love of her son, or are you just delusional and in denial while you pretend your adopted son is really yours, when the reality is he is not. Yes, legally, but not naturally. Oh by the way, I am still waiting for an apology from you. Thanks to all reading my comments

April 3, 2008

Thanks for your encouraging words, and nice to hear from you again. I will always fight for my daughter. No updates yet, but there are some things in progress, it just takes time...My daughter in my arms again...Do you know the first thing I would like to do with my daughter besides tell her how much I love her? Have a sit down with her and a therapist so we can both overcome the terrible affects that adoption had on our lives and then we can move on. My daughter is the true victim. She is being used by her adoptive parents for social status. They begged me for her when I was sick because they thought I was pretty and they wanted a pretty child. They use her for all the fun activities that come with having a child and could care less about her mental health. I say that because they don't care about me so that means that they don't care about her. When the time is right I will reveal in public who the adoptive parents are, I am sure they won't mind, after all they did willingly give me their identity. This will give them the opportunity to tell their side of the story. There is always another side of a story, however the difference between mine and theirs is I have nothing to hide and they do. Thanks again, just5kids, and God Bless! Catherine

April 4, 2008

Here are a few examples of brutal tactics that I got from the adoptive parents of my daughter.

"We are forever in your debt"

"You are so brave"

($100 flowers in the hospital)-the card read"All Our Love and God Bless

just had a C-section, not one comment was made about my health but an invite....

"Catherine, christening..."

"with love, and great expectations"

"I would like a little more open of adoption and perhaps we can talk to Patricia about this..."

I have it all in writing and MUCH MUCH MORE. All I can say is WHAT A CROCK!!!! The adoptive parents of my daughter are LIARS and HYPOCRITES! Well, I am done for now. Thanks to all for reading my comments! Catherine

April 7, 2008

Dear Just5Kids,You think what I told you was awful, that is just the beginning....The adoptive parents don't even respond to my parents pleas for visits....my parents did not know until it was too late, thanks to all the coercian from Patricia Strowbridge's office....I kept asking about what to do in telling my parents and they would skirt around the subject or ignore it...anyway, my father wrote the adoptive parents pleading that he was 65 and did not no how long he had left on this earth to see his granddaughter and guess what the adoptive parents did? IGNORE MY PARENTS PLEAS. My parents not knowing greatly helped in Patricia Strowbridge ability to kidnap, the adoptive parents knew it...and then later when my dad requests a visit THEY IGNORE HIM!!!!! I am truly scared for my daughter's mental health being with these people. I can go on and on about them, I havn't revealed who they are for now, but I am so grateful that I know who they are. They used their identity with me as a tool to get my flesh and blood and their property.As far as the judicial reprimand, it was a reprimand that I won within the Florida Bar. All the reprimand has given me so far is credibility in my comments because the Florida Bar believed me and saw the truth. The adoption of my daughter stands because Patricia Strowbridge is married to a Judge and has connections with the legal community in Orlando where she appears to be protected. It is called corruption, no one down there will touch my case, because if they did Patricia Strowbridge would lose her license and my lawyer would be considered a black sheep for causing such a commotion in the legal community of Orlando, Florida. Also my lawyer would have to cross legal paths with Judge Wattles, Patricia Strowbridge's husband, and there would be serious ramifications for exposing the truth!!I hope I answered your questions...This adoption industry has no mercy, NO MERCY AT ALL! Sharon Tate was 8 1/2 months pregnant when Sicko Charles Manson followers brutally murdered her, when her last words were about her baby...they had no mercy on her.....same thing with adoption professionals, they may not brutally physically murder you, but they brutally mentally murder you by preying on your poor mental health, vulnerability and pleas for more time with your baby, and they have no mercy whatsoeverI also would like to say that I am getting the mental health that I need and I do go to therapy. I will stop for now and thank just5kids and everyone for their support. I am positive that one day it will pay off and these cruel, evil and mean adoption professionals will be forced to find another field of work.

Pregnancy is difficult, and some women struggle with their health. A treatable mental health condition is no reason to take a child from her mother. But it seems it is a reason for adoption entities to make a profit.

Adoptee Rights Demonstration

ADOPTEE RIGHTS DEMONSTRATION - EQUAL ACCESS TO BIRTH CERTIFICATES

Adopted persons, their families and friends will be gathering in NewOrleans for the National Conference of State Legislators for ademonstration on equal rights for adopted persons in the United States.

DATE: July 22, 2008

TIME: 9:00 am

DEMONSTRATION LOCATION: Lafayette Square Park New Orleans.

The demonstration will begin at Lafayette Square Park marching 8 blocks tothe National Conference of State Legislators being held at the ErnestN. Morial Convention Center ( 900 Convention Center Blvd., New Orleans)

WEB SITE FOR DEMONSTRATION: http://www.adopteerights.net

In the United States only six states (Alabama, Alaska, Kansas, Maine,New Hampshire and Oregon) allow adopted persons access to their original birth certificates. We believe that it is discriminatory to legally withhold personal information and documents from citizens thatall other tax-paying voting citizens are entitled to.Nowhere on any adoption contract or in any legislation is it written that an adopted person can not possess their original birthcertificate or why the birth certificate is withheld from the adoptee.

Opposition to adopted persons possessing their original birthcertificates will present legally unsupported claims that a relinquishing mother has the right to privacy and to be protected fromher daughter or son relinquished to adoption, therefore allowing amother a lifetime of privacy and anonymity. This is discrimination. Relinquishing mothers do not seal their children's original birthcertificates - the original birth certificates are sealed by state governments.

The participants of the demonstration believe that every citizen ofthe United States should be treated equally. To do otherwise is discrimination. We would like all remaining states to introduce legislation that will allow adopted persons in the United Statesaccess to their original birth certificates.We encourage your reporters to cover this story and event to help us bring public awareness to this demonstration in New Orleans.

Media contacts for New Orleans Demonstration
Kali Coultas
805 500-5317 (pst)
Cell: 805 607-2704
withoutatribe@ yahoo.com

Michelle Edmunds
516 593-2753 (est)
Cell: 516 263-1556
michelle.edmunds@ gmail.com

Source

The Myth: adoption is for children

Too much money and too many adult emotional needs are put ahead of the needs of children.

These images by The Indian Association For Promotion Of Adoption & Child Welfare explore the reality of many adoptions. Though the ads are intended to show the rewards of adoption, the images do more to debunk the myth that adoption is for children. Too many American adoptions are about fulfilling the wants and desires of needy couples and/or filling the pockets of the attorneys.

If adoption were about the children, then nearly every infant born would be with the woman who carried him/her because the proper supports and helps would have been in place to prevent any need for adoption. Any close look at domestic infant adoption will reveal too many cases of temporary illness and struggle or flat out coercion.

Florida Adoption Council

In this post , I reference the Florida Adoption Council, Inc. My research was not complete, and I apologize to readers of this blog.

What I should have added at that time is the fact that Patricia Strowbridge owns part (or all) of the Council; thus, an individual who profits from adoption has set up this "nonprofit" organization that is supposed to educate and help set legislation for the State of Florida. Intersting.

Adoptions are NOT all VOLUNTARY or ETHICALly managed

If relinquishments were always voluntary and ethically mangaged, then mothers like Allison Quets wouldn't fight for more than two years and spend close to one million dollars.

If relinquishments were always voluntary and ethically managed, mothers like Catherine Ristow would not win Supreme Court reprimands against attornies who are married to judges, as in Patricia Strowbridge, Executive Director of A Chosen Child.

If relinquishments were always voluntary and ethically managed, mothers like Jamie Kiefer would not have to resort to taking their children back at gun point.

If relinquishments were always voluntary and ethically managed, mothers like Cindy Ross Jordan would not be so emotionally tortured that they would take their own lives.

If relinquishments were always voluntary and ethically managed, women like Susan Burns would not be mothers and writing books (be sure to review the comments) about how to efficiently take children from other mothers.

Adoption is about PROFIT

The Florida Adoption Council has a lobbyist. What is the job of a lobbyist for a nonprofit organization? What does Jon E. Johnson do with his time? Who pays him? Where does money to pay him come from if adoption is nonprofit?

http://www.floridalobbyistdirectory.com/Principal.aspx?id=1754 If adoption is nonprofit, why are there adoption lobbyists?